Membership Fees
Configure subscription amounts and manage fee collection across your membership
The Membership Fees screen is the central place for managing library subscription or membership fees. It does two things: it lets you set the fee amount and billing cycle for each Member Type, and it provides a filtered grid of members where you can see who owes fees, who is due for renewal, and who has no renewal date set — and process payments and renewals from the same screen. Only members with Normal status appear in the grid.
Two Functions on One Screen
The screen is divided into two areas that work together but serve different purposes:
| Area | Purpose | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| Configuration (top) | Set the subscription fee amount and billing cycle (in months) for a selected Member Type. Click Update to save. | Administrator — typically set up once and reviewed annually or when fees change |
| Member grid (bottom) | View all Normal-status members of the selected type, filtered by fee state. Process renewals and payments from the Action drop-down per member. | Library staff — used throughout the year as fees fall due or are collected |
Configuring Fees per Member Type
Select a Member Type from the drop-down, then set the Subscription Fees amount and Subscription Cycle. Click Update to save. The configuration applies to all members of that type.
Member Type
Parents (PR) — selected example
Subscription Fees
R20,00 — editable amount
Subscription Cycle
12 — months (1–12)
Update
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Member Type | The Member Type to configure. Each type has its own independent fee amount and cycle. You must select a type and click Update for each one separately — there is no bulk-configure option. Types with zero fees effectively have no membership fee requirement. |
| Subscription Fees | The fee amount charged to each member of this type per renewal cycle. Defaults to zero (no fee). Enter any positive amount — in the sample library, Parents are charged R20.00 per cycle. The currency symbol is determined by your locale settings. |
| Subscription Cycle | The number of months between fee renewals. Range: 1 to 12 months. A cycle of 12 means annual renewal; a cycle of 6 means semi-annual; cycle of 1 means monthly. The system uses this to calculate when the next renewal is due after a Renew action. |
| Update button | Saves the fee amount and cycle for the selected Member Type. This does not immediately change any individual member's fee records — it sets the rate that will be used when a future Renew or Renew and Pay action is processed. |
Changing the fee amount only affects future renewals — it does not retroactively change fees already charged to members. If a member already has an outstanding fee at the old rate, that amount remains unchanged until they pay and renew at the new rate.
The Member Fee Grid
Below the configuration area, the member grid shows all Normal-status members of the selected Member Type, filtered by one of four view states. The grid from the sample library (Parents type, All view) shows member 10000011 — Fargher, Ken C, class 1A:
| Member | Member Name | Join Date | Last Fees Due | Fees Due Date | Fees Due | Fees Paid Date | Action | Edit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10000011 | Fargher, Ken C 1A |
{Select} ▾ |
Edit |
The Member column shows a clickable link — clicking it opens that member's record in Maintain Members in a new tab. The Category (class 1A) is displayed beneath the member's name. The grid sorts by any column header.
View Filters
Four buttons above the grid filter which members are displayed. Only one filter is active at a time:
| Filter | What it shows | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | Members whose Fees Due Amount is not zero — their fee has been charged but not yet paid. | Day-to-day fee collection. Use this as your main working view when collecting payments — it shows exactly who still owes money. |
| Due for Renewal | Members whose renewal date is approaching or past — they need to be renewed (and charged) for the next period. | At the start of each term or renewal cycle to identify members due for their next subscription. |
| No Renewal Date | Members who have no Fees Due Date set on their record. These members have never been through the fee cycle, or their date was cleared. | At the start of a new academic year or when setting up the fee system for the first time — use Edit to set a due date for each member before running renewals. |
| All | All Normal-status members of the selected type, regardless of fee state. | For a complete overview or when you need to act on a specific member not captured by the other filters. |
The most efficient daily workflow is to use Outstanding as your default view — it shows exactly who owes money and nothing more. Switch to Due for Renewal at the start of each term to run the renewal batch, then use No Renewal Date once a year to catch any members who have fallen through the cracks.
Grid Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Member | The member number, shown as a clickable link that opens the member's full record in Maintain Members (new tab). |
| Member Name | Surname, first name, and below it the member's Category/class code. Sortable alphabetically. |
| Join Date | The date the member was first added to the system. Used as a reference for when their membership cycle started. |
| Last Fees Due | The due date of the previous renewal period — the date the last fee was charged. Empty for members who have never been through a fee cycle. |
| Fees Due Date | The date by which the current fee must be paid. Displayed in green in the Maintain Members record. Set this via the Edit link on the grid row. If not set, the member appears in the No Renewal Date view. |
| Fees Due | The outstanding amount currently owed by the member. Displayed in green in the member record. Non-zero means fees have been charged but not paid. This column is highlighted in the Outstanding view. |
| Fees Paid Date | The date the most recent fee payment was recorded. Empty if no payment has been made in the current period. |
| Action | A drop-down menu with four options per member. See the Per-member actions section below. |
| Edit | Opens the member's fee record inline for editing — specifically to set or change the Fees Due Date. This is the only field that can be changed from within this screen without opening Maintain Members. |
Per-Member Actions
The Action drop-down on each grid row offers four options. Selecting an option applies it immediately — there is no separate confirm step.
| Action | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Renew | Extends the member's subscription for another cycle (the number of months set in Subscription Cycle) and sets a new Fees Due Date — but does not record a payment. The Fees Due Amount is set to the current subscription rate, marking the fee as outstanding. | When you want to register that a member's membership has been renewed (e.g. the school is covering the fee) without recording a cash payment. Also used to set up the due date ahead of collecting payment. |
| Renew and Pay | Extends the subscription for another cycle and records the payment in a single step. The Fees Due Amount is cleared, the Fees Paid Date is set to today, and the next due date is calculated. | The most common action — use when a member renews and pays at the desk at the same time. One click completes both the renewal and the payment record. |
| Pay | Records a payment against the member's current outstanding fee without renewing the membership. Clears the Fees Due Amount and sets the Fees Paid Date to today. Does not extend the due date. | When a member pays an outstanding fee that was already charged via Renew in a previous session. Also useful for partial or late payments where the renewal has already been processed. |
| Transactions | Opens the member's full fee transaction history — a log of all renewals, payments, and changes to the fee record over time. | For auditing, investigating discrepancies, or when a member queries their fee history. Useful at year end to verify all payments have been recorded. |
Business Rules
The system enforces three important rules that control when renewals and payments can be processed:
A membership cannot be renewed until the current period has been paid.
If a member has an outstanding Fees Due Amount, the Renew action is blocked. The outstanding fee must be cleared first via Pay before the next renewal can be processed.
If a member has an outstanding Fees Due Amount, the Renew action is blocked. The outstanding fee must be cleared first via Pay before the next renewal can be processed.
A membership cannot be renewed if the due date is too far in the future.
If the current Fees Due Date is still well ahead of today, the system will not allow a new renewal — the existing period is not yet close to expiry. This prevents accidental double-renewals.
If the current Fees Due Date is still well ahead of today, the system will not allow a new renewal — the existing period is not yet close to expiry. This prevents accidental double-renewals.
Only members with Normal status are displayed.
Members with On Hold, Not Registered, or To Delete status do not appear in the fee grid, regardless of which view filter is selected.
Members with On Hold, Not Registered, or To Delete status do not appear in the fee grid, regardless of which view filter is selected.
If you click Renew or Renew and Pay and nothing happens (or the member does not move to a new due date), check whether the current period has been paid and whether the due date is still in the future. Both conditions will block the renewal silently.
Typical Fee Management Workflow
| Task | Steps |
|---|---|
| Set up fees for a new Member Type | Select the Member Type → enter the fee amount and cycle → click Update. Then use the No Renewal Date filter to find all members with no due date, and click Edit on each to set their first Fees Due Date. |
| Collect fees at the start of term | Select the Member Type → click Due for Renewal. For each member who presents to pay, select Renew and Pay from the Action drop-down. For members whose fees are covered by the institution, use Renew (without Pay). |
| Record a payment for an outstanding fee | Select the Member Type → click Outstanding. Find the member and select Pay from the Action drop-down. The outstanding amount is cleared and the payment date recorded. |
| Check a member's fee history | Find the member in any view → select Transactions from the Action drop-down. Or open the member's full record in Maintain Members and use the Membership Fees tab → View Transactions button. |
| Change the due date for a member | Find the member in the grid → click Edit in the last column → update the Fees Due Date field → save. This is useful when a member's due date needs to be aligned to the school year or corrected after an error. |
| Annual fee rate change | Select each Member Type in turn → update the Subscription Fees amount → click Update. The new rate applies to all future renewals for that type. Members currently mid-cycle are unaffected until their next renewal. |
Membership Fees Screen vs the Fees Tab in Maintain Members
There are two places in Papyrus Cloud where membership fees can be managed. They are complementary:
| Membership Fees screen (this screen) | Tab 5 in Maintain Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Managing fees across a whole Member Type at once — bulk renewals, payment collection days, finding outstanding payers | Managing one specific member's fees in detail — checking their history, correcting a fee record, or processing a one-off payment |
| Shows | All Normal-status members of one type, filtered by fee state | One member — their Previous Fees, Current Fees, Due Fees, and full transaction history |
| Actions available | Renew, Renew and Pay, Pay, Transactions — via drop-down per row | Renew, Renew and Pay, Pay, View Transactions — via individual buttons |
| Set fee rate | Yes — configure amount and cycle per Member Type | No — displays the current rate but cannot change it |
Use this screen for all routine fee collection and batch processing. Use the Membership Fees tab in Maintain Members only when you need to investigate or correct a specific member's fee record in detail.